Vanitas
by Shade Mimir
Summary: Complications arise during what should have been a simple quest from Word. Moordryd finds himself rethinking his priorities and questioning his relationship with a certain member of the Dragon Eyes. Slash CainxMoordryd, character death.


A/N: I was hesitant about actually posting this fic anywhere. I have a feeling some of my readers are going to be slightly annoyed as well. I have other fics I should be working on after all. A Dragon Booster fic was just something that was sitting on the edge of my mind, bugging me until I thought out a quick rough draft. Don't flame me. This fic is angsty and slashy and might have a few inaccuracies with the show, i.e. I have no idea how much a dragon weighs, what a "wrist-comm" is really called, or exactly how it alerts you that there's an…erm…incoming call o.O.

I blame this angsty stint of mine on work. I started this fic just as I put in my notice and finished it after I'd been free for a couple of days. Maybe my new-found freedom with be the dawning of some slightly more "upbeat" works. Until then, here ya go…just don't say I didn't warn you…Character death(s), introspective…ness…, more angst than a bucket of emos ahead and all that. Oh, yes, and as is the trend with most of my fics, no beta.

Vanitas

_(vanitas vanitatum, omnia vanitas)_

by Shade Mimir

Baby, mind the vultures  
They're circling round the bone  
Feeding from the idols  
They think they can draw blood from a stone  
But the more the diamond glitters  
The more it can deceive  
The Truth lay in the treasure  
Of what we disbelieve  
–Jill Tracy, _Pulling your Insides Out_

"What was that?" Cain breathed, stepping forward quickly and nearly knocking Moordryd over in the process. Moordryd stumbled, cursed, and glared back at the other. He was already far less than thrilled about this little fetch-quest his father had sent him on. Cain's incompetence only made the going more tedious.

"I didn't hear anything," Moordryd growled, narrowing his eyes as he took a good look around anyway. Lamps on the cave walls glowed dully, giving the narrow passages that surrounded them only minimal light. "-don't see anything either. Don't be such a coward." He heard Cain begin to retort but the sound of, what Moordryd could only guess to be, dripping water prompted a distressed yelp from the muscular youth. Moordryd only rolled his eyes and pressed onwards.

This might not have been quite as bad if their dragons had been able to accompany them. Unfortunately, the mouth of the cave had proved far too narrow. Decepshun and Coershun had been forced to stay behind. Moordryd supposed it was just as well. The sight of fallen rocks ahead told him that their surroundings weren't particularly stable without the added weight of two three-ton dragons.

"And how are we supposed to get past that?" Cain drawled, stopping short of the cave-in before them. Splintered wood rested atop crumbled stone as if the supports had given way many years ago. "I don't think we have the right equipment for this, Moordryd. We should just go back to-hey!"

Predictably, Moordryd had completely ignored his teammate's suggestion. Instead, he was already pulling away some of the rocks; tentatively at first, then quickly as he caught a glimpse of light beyond. "We're not going back. This is a waste of time already. Come on, help me. This isn't that bad."

Cain groaned but did as he was instructed, clearing away just enough debris to allow them both safe passage to the other side. Moordryd managed to get a lung-full of settling dirt and dust as they climbed through. He coughed and brushed the excess from his clothes, looking up only when he heard a long, low, whistle from Cain "Impressive."

"Hmm?" Moordryd fell silent as he raised his head, startled by just how expansive the inner-chamber appeared to be. A flat surface extended for, perhaps, a hundred yards. It gradually narrowed into a path and slanted to one side. The trail was little more than a narrow ledge that curled around a distant rock-face, branching off in various directions, to many ornate, arching, doorways.

"I don't see it," Cain said, squinting into the distance. "Look at that, this place is falling apart."

"Right in front of you," Moordryd's tone was one of exasperation. The pedestal was very distant, but quite obvious none-the-less. It was perched reverently and rather precariously at the further-most point of the cave. The only path to it appeared to be a questionable looking rope bridge that stretched across the empty expanse between the ledge and the far wall.

"What is it?" Cain followed behind Moordryd as the other boy moved closer to the ledge.

"Father wouldn't say." Moordryd's eyes focused on the pedestal in the distance as he tried to make out what had been set there. "Or couldn't. We'll see for ourselves soon enough."

"You're not going to try to cross that, are you?" Cain eyed the bridge with uncertainty.

"Of course not," It was difficult to tell whether Moordryd was being serious or sarcastic. He did stop once they got to the ledge. Two wooden posts stood several feet apart from one another, holding taunt two frayed and knotted ropes. The planks that made up the floor of the bridge were equally unimpressive. Most were either rotting or missing entirely. It wasn't completely unreasonable that it might support the weight of someone trying to cross. It just wasn't something that it would be wise to risk considering that there was quite the intimidating drop below. "Well, go on then."

It took Cain several moments to realize that Moordryd was speaking to him. "Huh?" was all he could really manage, looking over to his boss incredulously. It was clear that Cain had no intention of crossing the bridge and no amount of coaxing would convince him otherwise.

"Fine, you'd probably drop it anyway." The leader of the Dragon Eyes took one step forward, gauging the durability of the bridge ahead nervously. He wasn't looking forward to this either, but he was even less anxious to go home without whatever it was Word wanted.

"I don't think you should go either," Cain caught Moordryd by the arm but the teen only pulled away and took his first step onto the bridge.

Both boys held their breath for several moments. The bridge creaked and dipped marginally. When nothing more happened, Moordryd looked back. "Just wait here." His tone hinted that this wasn't unusual. Cain was always staying behind or running to hide. He wasn't the most dependable of underlings and certainly not the most useful.

Moordryd kept his movements slow and put most of his weight on the rope rather than the cracked and splitting boards below. Regardless of the methods used to cross the bridge, it proved surprisingly sturdy and Moordryd's heart steadied itself once he crossed the halfway point without issue. The object on the pedestal gradually became more distinct and he couldn't help but be slightly disappointed. Word had sent his son to fetch dragons and gear before and this hardly seemed as useful.

A tablet of gold was propped against a slender marble stand. Moordryd could already tell that the writing on the metal was nothing he could read. The letters were elaborate and foreign, a thin layer of dust gathered over them. The silence of the amulet served as only further evidence that, contrary to what his father was hoping he would gain from this, there was absolutely nothing of value in these caverns.

Moordryd made it safely to the pedestal and looked back to find Cain, still looking apprehensive. "What if it's a trap?" he called across, as if Moordryd hadn't considered this already. Pretending he hadn't heard, Moordryd faced the pedestal once more and reached out to claim the tablet. They had come so far, it would be a shame to have to return empty handed.

The gold beneath a generous layer of dust was cold to the touch. Small clouds of gray formed as the artifact was shifted for, likely, the first time in many years. Moordryd eased it off of its stand, half expecting the ground to fall away beneath him. He released a breath he was unaware he had been holding when nothing happened. "See?" he faced the rope bridge, once more, smiling triumphantly as he dropped the tablet into the bag he had brought along for just this purpose. "Not a problem."

Moordryd saw Cain's demeanor shift into one of cautious optimism as his boss crossed back over the bridge. "Then let's get out of here and give Word…whatever that thing is…What was it?"

"Nothing I ca-" A pulse came forth like a wave, emanating from the, now vacant, pedestal. The bridge bucked upwards and came down hard, snapping one of the lower two ropes in its downward momentum. Moordryd was only vaguely aware of the pack with the tablet slipping from his shoulder. His first priority was putting a stop to the very sudden pull of gravity and the very real drop below. He heard Cain shout his name as he managed to grip the remaining rope, first with one hand, then both. It took several seconds for Moordryd to gather his thoughts and draw in another full breath.

There was no more movement from the ground. When Moordryd was certain there were no more surprises in store for him, he quickly placed one hand over the other and closed the short distance between himself and the ledge. "Thanks for the help," Moordryd glared at Cain as he finally pulled himself up onto solid ground. The nervous-looking youth had backed up to the nearest solid rock and had yet to make a move back towards the ledge.

"Let's just go, Moordryd." Cain glanced to the crumbling doorway they'd entered through. The quake they'd just experienced had actually cleared away some of the debris. Moordryd could see how eager his companion was to leave this place and, admittedly, was just as anxious to leave himself. It was only as he stood that he took notice of the slight weight that had been lifted from his shoulder.

"Wait." Moordryd looked back, putting a hand to his back in search of the strap that had been there only moments before. "Scales," he swore, whirling around and dropping to his knees.

"What is it?" Cain took several hesitant steps towards the ledge and peered over, nervously. "Come on let's just ge-"

"We can't go anywhere yet!" Moordryd made a point not to raise his voice too much. He wasn't sure of the effect any more reverberations would have on their surroundings, but he certainly didn't want to find out. He laid down so that he could stretch out further over the ledge. From his new vantagepoint he almost immediately spotted the top of the gray pack, nestled snuggly between several outcropping rocks. "There."

The strap of the pack below wasn't too far out of reach. Moordryd was sure he could feel his fingertips grazing the rough canvas of the strap; but every time he groped for more, he felt only rock. He was in the process of pushing himself a little further over the edge when his wrist-comm gave an impatient buzz. Moordryd groaned, sliding back and going to his knees again. "Get it, Cain. I'll deal with my father."

"But-"

"Just get it, Cain!" Moordryd was losing his patience with all of this. "The sooner you do, the sooner we can leave." He chose to ignore a few choice words Cain muttered under his breath as he moved a little closer to the edge. Moordryd stepped away, putting a hand to the wrist-comm so that a vidd screen crackled into being.

"What's taking so long, Moordryd?" Word Paynn asked silkily, his cold, gray eyes betraying his annoyance.

"Nothing," His father's disappointment only frustrated Moordryd more. He glanced to Cain, who was still shying away from the edge and had yet to so much as go down on his knees. Moordryd opted not to say anything just yet. Learning of his son's carelessness would only disappoint his father further. "I'm on my way back now." He looked back to the screen, watching as Word seemed to consider those words and how much truth was in them. Whatever his response had been, it went unheard by his son.

Moordryd gave a start as the ground shuddered again. There was a loud scraping and the sound of a crash. He just barely heard a scream from Cain over all the noise. He cut off the wrist-comm's transmission as he faced the ledge that had once held the bridge. Both posts were missing now, as was Cain. Moordryd's mind tried to piece together what had just happened, shock kept him silent but certainly didn't hinder his movements. He crossed what little was left of the ledge, going to his knees and looking over. Frantically, he scanned the mess below. The rockslide had formed another ledge some distance downwards. He couldn't see Cain, but didn't want to consider what it meant if he wasn't down there.

Moordryd cleared his throat, managing to find his voice. "Cain?" he called, a little more urgently than he had intended to. When no answer came he, carefully, maneuvered onto the steep slope the rockslide had created. It was difficult to descend slowly, especially when he was in such a hurry. Moordryd nearly fell twice, merely dropping to the ledge below, where the slope ended. The drop assured Moordryd that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to get back up on his own, much less with someone else in tow. That, of course, was assuming he even found Cain. Moordryd was still trying not to think about the latter.

"Cain!" His tone was a little more pressing as he looked for any sign of the other. It didn't take terribly long to spot someone slumped against the wall of the cave. The ledge the rockslide had created was quite small and it took little more than two steps to bring Moordryd to his destination. Still, he took great care not to shift the fallen rocks any more than need be. The ground was unsteady, fragments of stone rolling away as he knelt down beside Cain.

The young rider was caught under a fair amount of rubble. He wasn't moving but Moordryd supposed there was a good chance the fall had merely knocked him unconscious. Extending an uncharacteristically shaky hand, Moordryd pressed two fingers to the side of Cain's neck, checking for a pulse before doing anything else. After several moments of uncertainty, Moordryd gave a sigh of relief and activated his wrist-comm.

"Rancydd, get down here. Something's happened, we need help," Moordryd said quickly, getting the words out and switching the wrist-comm off before his teammate had an opportunity to question him. Moordryd had his pride, but he was no fool. There was no way he was getting back up to the entrance with Cain, not without help.

Shifting his attention back to Cain, Moordryd quickly set about clearing away the rubble. It was probably just as well that Cain wasn't awake through this. Moordryd had a feeling that he would likely be quick to overact though the company wouldn't have been entirely unwelcome at that moment.

Moordryd felt a bit more at ease as he uncovered Cain's torso and found only minor cuts, scrapes, and contusions, albeit more of them than he cared to count. His relief was short lived as he found that some of the rocks proved considerably more difficult to move. Moordryd gritted his teeth and got a better grip, putting all his effort into the process of freeing Cain. It was still no good.

Moordryd sat back in momentary defeat, looking upwards and to the ledge above. He wondered when the rest of his crew would get here. Perhaps it would be best to wait for them. Once they got here one of them could come down and help and- His thoughts were interrupted by another hum from his wrist-comm. He looked down to it hopefully, his initial assumption that it was Rancydd or one of the others trying to verify his position. Moordryd's hopes fell quickly as he realized the signal came from his father. "Not right now."

The teen closed his eyes, resting one pale hand over his wrist to silence it. There would be plenty of accusations and harsh reminders of his failure later, even more if they weren't back soon and with the- Moordryd's opened his eyes, looking around with another frustrated groan. As if this wasn't bad enough, he had lost what he had come for.

With his determination once more fueled, Moordryd went to one knee. He pulled experimentally at the rock again then glanced back to Cain. "Might as well try." Moordryd wrapped one arm around Cain's shoulders, pulling the other up into more of sitting position, allowing him to reach the last of the rubble at the same time. Bracing himself with his left leg, Moordryd gave the largest rock one last push, bringing up one side. As soon as he was sure he couldn't lift it any further, he pulled Cain back. The tug had been cautious, no more than a quick check to see if he would be able to move his teammate at all. Moordryd had been so careful and yet a sickening, slightly wet-sounding snap sounded in his ears louder than the rockslide had.

Reality seemed to slow for Moordryd Paynn. He pulled back his hand quickly, not quite thinking rationally as Cain drew in a sharp breath and immediately broke into a rather violent fit of coughing. The blood this brought up distracted Moordryd only long enough to feel something warm and sticky on his palm. A glance to the ground confirmed that this was seeping from beneath one of the larger rocks, the one that had just fallen back into place.

Moordryd's first instinct was to stop the bleeding though intending to manage some sort of impromptu first aid and actually being of any help were two entirely different matters. Racing, cheating, and stealing dragons were the only things Moordryd truly knew; and he direly regretted not thinking to read on the subject before now. This wasn't exactly something you could cut corners on. He had a general idea of how to take care of minor, superficial wounds but this, this was far more serious than any injuries either of them had ever sustained on the tracks.

It took only a mater of minutes for Moordryd to realize there was nothing he could do to help Cain. There was no bleeding he could stop if he couldn't see the wound and he certainly wasn't willing to try and move the last of the rubble again. All he could really do was wait for Rancydd and the others. There were more pressing matters at hand, none more troublesome than finding that Cain seemed to be coming around.

For once, any fear on Cain's part would be completely warranted. Moordryd wasn't sure of the mechanics of these sort of things but imagined that Cain panicking wouldn't prove beneficial to either of them. "Moordryd?" Cain asked, somewhat drowsily. He sounded genuinely confused and Moordryd was anything but eager to explain what had just transpired.

"Right here." Moordryd put his hands to the other's shoulder's momentarily, pushing the him back so that he could lean against the stone wall without need for any further support. Moordryd found, at least, a little comfort in the realization that Cain seemed to be in very little, if any, pain. At that moment, there was but one remaining dilemma. With nothing else to block the blood still pooling just behind him, Moordryd moved over Cain's lap. He kept all of his weight on his own knees and, though he felt more than a little awkward, managed to successfully obstruct anything that was happening directly behind himself.

"What's going on?" Cain asked, his words slightly slurred but retaining an adequate amount of lucidity to remain coherent.

"There was a rockslide," Moordryd explained, a little troubled to find that he was having some difficulty keeping his own tone calm. "We can't get out right now, but the rest of the crew is on their way."

Cain regarded his boss with an absent expression. Moordryd was a little thankful that the other didn't have the presence of mind to question what was going on. When his eyes did focus, Cain only frowned. "You're bleeding?"

"What?" Moordryd looked down to the blood he had yet to clean from his hand and was quick to wipe this over his thigh. Explaining that this wasn't his blood wasn't an option. Changing the subject didn't seem to be necessary, though.

"I told you, we shouldn't have come here." Cain still didn't appear to be in any pain nor completely aware of what was going on. He did, however, seem a little alarmed when Moordryd nodded in agreement. "Huh? I'm right?"

Moordryd nodded again, glancing away as he took a deep breath "Yeah, you were right this time. I should've listened to you."

"That's a shock," Cain muttered in disbelief "…not like your father at all."

It was something about the intonation of those words that prompted Moordryd to hesitate. He looked back to Cain, a slight frown tugging at the corners of his lips. "What does my father have to do with any of this."

Cain's speech seemed a little freer, likely due to the blood loss. "What doesn't Word have to…" He seemed to lose his train of thought for a moment and closed his eyes. A few deep breaths seemed to clear his head and his eyes focused a little more easily upon Moordryd when he continued, "You want him to approve."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Moordryd tensed. Of course he understood exactly what Cain was trying to get across. If it was obvious to someone this slow-witted, naturally it had occurred to Moordryd years before. He simply didn't think about it because he chose not to believe such things.

For a moment Cain's eyes shone with perfect clarity. Moordryd wanted nothing more than to look away again yet couldn't quite bring himself to. "You shouldn't worry about his approval. You're going to be just like him one day." Moordryd felt those words chill him down to his very essence. He immediately tried to dismiss what Cain had said. He was weak and, well, not the brightest or most insightful of individuals. His opinions hadn't made much sense before. Why should they matter now? Still, pretending that nothing had been said proved impossible.

"I'm nothing like my father." As soon as Moordryd had spoken, he knew there wasn't much truth to what he had said. "I mean, I don't want to be anything like my father. I…" Did he? Was he anything like his father now?

Cain only gave a minimal shrug "If that's what you think, boss."

It wasn't only the tone of the other's voice that bothered Moordryd that time. As little credit as he gave him, Cain probably knew him better than anyone. He was perhaps the only loyal friend that Moordryd had.

His friend.

Moordryd had never given that much thought either, but Cain really was his best and only friend. This sudden realization made him feel more than a little pathetic. Cain worked for him. He really had no choice but to do as Moordryd instructed him to. What sort of friendship was that and what good had it done Cain in the end? Then again, Cain had always had a choice.

"Cain?"

"Hmm?" Cain was looking decidedly paler than usual. He didn't seem quite as alert as he had only a little while ago either.

"You say I'm like my father," Moordryd spoke slowly so as to make sure Cain understood him. "You can't stand my father, so why do you put up with me?"

The amused smile Cain gave him, explained nothing to Moordryd. Before he could question him further, Cain began coughing again. Moordryd had come close to forgetting that he could very well be leaving this awful place alone. The sight of more blood delivered second chill and his first response was to lean a little closer. "Cain?" he called, willing the other to open his eyes, to say anything that might prove he was still all right. He brought one shaky hand to Cain's cheek and slowly wiped the excess blood from the corner of his mouth. A second hand closing around his wrist, caught Moordryd off guard.

Suddenly, Moordryd found himself being pulled a little closer to Cain. Unwilling to put anymore stress on his friend's body, he placed his hands to the wall to support himself. Moordryd felt the hand at his wrist fall down to his waist. "Wh-" he was silenced as Cain's lips were pressed to his own. Another hand found it's way around his body, keeping Moordryd from pulling away too soon.

Thoughts sped through Moordryd's mind faster than he could sort them out. He wondered if Cain had misread his movements earlier. As he felt one of Cain's hands slide down to the small of his back, it occurred to him that this could very well be the answer to his last question. Was this why Cain stayed with the Dragon Eyes for so long? Moordryd found that idea a little difficult to believe and, yet, here they were.

As Cain began to pull away, Moordryd's thoughts came the present. He realized freezing up probably hadn't been the response the teen in front of him had been hoping for. An overwhelming wave of guilt washed over him. If this really was why Cain had stayed, it certainly hadn't been worth it. Frantic to quell this, somewhat, alien emotion, Moordryd initiated a second kiss. It was passionate, even through the salty, slightly metallic taste of blood. He deepened the kiss, desperate as he felt Cain's hold around him slip away.

Moordryd Paynn couldn't quite remember the last time he had cried. He was relatively certain that it had been during his more formative and over something childish at that. It was for this reason that he wasn't quite prepared for the sob that came when he pulled away. Grief and an anger he wasn't too familiar with stirred within him. He was angry with his father and Cain and, especially, especially himself. Footsteps sounded above and suddenly he even found himself angry with his crew for not making it here sooner.

"Hey, Moordryd! Cain!" The voice was familiar but Moordryd didn't respond. He doubted he could keep his voice level and even if he _was _able, the proper words had already escaped him. Moordryd leaned closer to the side of the ledge, hoping he wouldn't be seen from above. He allowed one of his hands to slide from the wall and onto Cain's shoulder. Moordryd placed two fingers to the other's neck and simply waited. Time became a slow crawl and he closed his eyes, listening to the sounds above as he searched for a pulse he already knew wasn't there.

"I don't see them. Maybe they already got out. They could be on their way back."

"He would have contacted us if he had."

"You think so?"

Eventually the footsteps faded into the distance. Shortly after the rest of his crew was out of earshot, Moordryd's legs seemed to give out beneath him. He dropped to one side but had little time to wipe away his tears before his wrist-comm informed him of an incoming call from Rancydd. Moordryd slipped the comm from his wrist and set it down. A glimpse of gold caught his eye and prompted him to pause. "Scales," he groaned, picking up the strap of the gray pack he had dropped. The tablet had fallen out but still seemed to be there. He tucked this safely back into the main compartment as an ironic and slightly manic sort of smile added itself to the myriad of expressions to cross his face in the last minute alone.

"Cain! You idiot!" Moordryd surprised even himself with this sudden burst of anger. "This is your own fault! If you didn't want to be here, you should have left!" He hurled the bag from the ledge, not particularly caring what his father would think of such recklessness.

"I heard something!"

Moordryd pressed his back against the ledge as the voices of his crew grew louder once more. He was still unwilling to be found just yet and was slightly annoyed when none of them left immediately. Eventually, both the voices and footsteps became very faint then completely inaudible.

Once reassured that he was alone, Moordryd sank back against the wall. "You couldn't wait five more minutes?" He wiped his eyes and took several deep breaths to collect his thoughts. There was time enough now to properly sort out all these new thoughts. Cain had kissed him but had that meant anything? Moordryd had kissed him back yet wasn't entirely sure of what that entailed. Any mention of romance had seemed slightly taboo in the Paynn household. He imagined that his father would be significantly more inclined to accept that his son had caused the death of his teammate rather than hearing who he had shared his first kiss with.

Moordryd felt his eyes stinging again. This _really was _his fault. If he had retrieved the pack himself, maybe if he had even waited for the rest of his crew, Cain would still…"I'm sorry."

The wrist-comm by his leg buzzed and Moordryd couldn't help but notice that this transmission came from his father. "Again?" He wondered what it was Word had to say now. There was no doubt in his mind that he would never be permitted to forget this day. Of all his failures as a Paynn, this one trumped the rest. He supposed, however, that in the end, he didn't truly deserve to forget. "That's it then." Before he had a chance to rethink the decision, Moordryd cast the wrist-comm away and far down below. His father could deal with what this would mean for the Dragon Eyes as well as the Paynn family-line.

Moordryd drew his hand back, hastily fishing for the amulet he kept on his person at all times. His pulse quickened as threw this away just as quickly. His heart pounded faster still as an inhuman laughter reverberated off the walls of the cave. The amulet unraveled into rivulets of purple and black and Moordryd's fingertips tingled where they had been in contact with the black draconium. As he watched the dark energy from the amulet stream upwards and out of sight, he couldn't help but wonder if this had all been predetermined. Maybe he had been a fool to trust Armeggaddon but none of this mattered anymore.

There was nothing left to say and little left to do. Moordryd merely made himself comfortable and placed his hand over Cain's. Eventually those fingers would become stiff beneath his own and gradually his anger would subside, leaving only the grief. In time this too would ease, unmasking something new and unexpected. Moordryd was relieved.


End file.
